Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area

Timber raised thirteen centuries ago still bears the roof of Horyu-ji's five-storey pagoda — this temple complex near Nara preserves some of the oldest wooden buildings on Earth. Around 48 Buddhist structures survive in the area, several from the late 600s and early 700s, capturing the moment Buddhism arrived in Japan via Korea and Chinese temple design was reshaped to Japanese taste. In 1993 the ensemble became one of Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage inscriptions.